Rutgers settles lawsuit that alleged racial bias

Rutgers University has settled a racial discrimination
lawsuit filed by four groundskeepers who in 2006 accused the
school of denying them promotions and ignoring a noose hung
on a campus building.

The workers -- three African-Americans and one Hispanic --
held maintenance jobs at the Cook/Douglass campus in New
Brunswick for at least 12 years. In October, Rutgers agreed
to pay each of the men $71,875 in lost wages and other
damages, while also reimbursing their attorneys $300,000 in
legal fees, according to court papers.

Both sides pledged to keep the settlement confidential, but
it was released after The Star-Ledger filed a freedom of
information request under the state's Open Public
Records Act. The plaintiffs' lawyer, Ray Hamlin, cited
the agreement and declined to comment.

In a statement, Rutgers spokesman Greg Trevor said the
university is "pleased" with the case's resolution.

"Rutgers University remains committed to a workplace
that is open, inclusive and free from all forms of
discrimination," he said.

The plaintiffs argued their bosses continually passed over
them for promotions, advancing white colleagues who
benefitted from exclusive training opportunities and
interviews marred by unfair questions and biased scoring.

Six white applicants finished with more points than any of
the four minority candidates, the complaint said -- partly
because the white applicants received identical high scores
on questions even after giving different responses.

Attorneys for Rutgers said those who were promoted had more
experience and interviewed better.

In court documents, they said one of the plaintiffs had
obvious flaws. He had been removed from a leadership role
after cursing at a female supervisor, admitted chronic
tardiness, and committed safety errors while operating a backhoe.

The same plaintiff widened the case when he testified last year that someone in early 2007 had hung a yellow nylon noose from the rafter of a campus lawn shop building. A campus police report found facilities staff took photos of the noose but did not immediately share them with authorities....